Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sun burst through the sky as the elder Shimada angrily eyed it down; soon realizing the dumbly made decision that forced his sight to quickly change to something, anything else. Instead, Hanzo Shimada stood firmly in the middle of the beach stubbornly having a passive and silent argument with the burning hot star in the sky. As if the arms weren’t somehow crossed by now they so happened to be done in the very moment before sweat trailed down the chin of the man and downwards. His expression shifted between obvious pain and some sort of meaningless proudness that ran through the clan’s blood and settled in the elder clan’s son. Otherwise he wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the sand, taking tanning to extreme measures and sweating waterfalls, would he?

As much as the sight was something to see, the cowboy stuck with life guarding duty for the day couldn’t help but question it at least a little. Nobody but him seemed to care, aside from a few chuckles here and there not a single being dared ask what the special kind of torture Hanzo was putting himself through was. He stood, thinking of an approach and forming sentences as to how one should ask without the obvious „what the actual fuck are you doing“. However, standing and glaring at someone such as Hanzo without a single other soul at least a fair distance didn’t go unnoticed. His name was called out for and the darker man awkwardly jumped out of his trance at the voice.

"McCree,"

No pain, no doubt in those stern dark eyes that pierced Jesse as if he was holy virgin. "Y-yeah?“ The words came out as unsure as if he was lying Reyes about a mission and planning an escape route for the night because not a lot of people could get by telling lies to the commander; that, and Jesse McCree was an absolute joke of a liar. Thankfully however, this wasn’t Blackwatch and the man in front of him wasn’t his commander thus making the situation for him at least a little easier. Fixing his posture, he did a small fake cough and walked up closer living up to his duty of a temporary lifeguard.

“Can't say I know you all that well Hanzo but even this ol’ cowboy can tell you’re not exactly enjoying yourself right now,"

“McCree,”

The voice was made sound again, far more impatient with the same big attitude the ex-mafia clan had. Jesse’s confusion brought anxiety and the words set a timer on himself. Clock ticked as a bomb for his response as the fact that he didn’t have the exact proper words for the man that would suffice was eating him alive. Help or something else was quite obviously required but with Hanzo it was something of a quest of figuring it out rather than a get to go answer. His eyes studied the body for wounds, bruises, anything. There was nothing, not even a scratch mark aside from old training scars Jesse assumed were. The Overwatch papers on the two Shimada implied none suffered illnesses and this case seemed to be more physical based on the attempted poker face that was tried to so desperately be held. There was not a hint of a clue that could pose an idea of the problem on the beautiful sunny beach day they were at. Jesse gave in.

“What is it, partner?”

Deadpan silence came expectedly. Words not, but Jesse’s gaze didn’t switch. Both his posture and look were doing their best to reassure the other man he was willing to devote himself to whatever situation this was. The archer’s eyes averted with another droplet of sweat trailing down his cheek. He sighed, closing his eyes and let his voice out, albeit quieter than usual.

“I,” One short pause, “I am sunburned,”

That was it. Those were all the words that left Hanzo. Quiet, short and straightforward.

It took a harsh blow of wind to snap the cowboy back from registering the sentence over and over in his mind and actually acknowledge the obvious not-ask-for-help Hanzo was so subtly suggesting. That, and the barely audible hum from the other man as it flew by him as well to cool the apparently burnt body. A chuckle was suppressed before he motioned for the bowman to follow him back to their hotel room.

“Can ya walk? I don’t mind carrying ya but with the burns I doubt you’ll want anythin' nearin' or touching your body anytime soon,”

“You will have time for chatter later. Let us move,” The short complaint told Jesse they did not need to be on the sun any longer. Hanzo soon lay on the bed in the cool room, back exposed and the air conditioning pointed at all the red that stuck the strong muscled body.

McCree sighed, watching the creamed back now beginning to absorb all the fluids put on it. The mess was made, all types of anti-heat factors scattered around and a lot of medicine that claimed being good for “open wounds” with a now-warm rag in the cowboy’s hands were being put back in place. Jesse’s warm smiled returned; hidden and out of sight for the elder Shimada to scold him. He recalled previous female cases with sunburning as an obvious white bra strap was missing from Hanzo’s back. Well, making marks on burned skin wasn’t hard and that was tanning experience talking.

“Just lay there, it’ll be best you not move ‘round too much,”

Hanzo hummed a reply back shifting to make the stretching not stress his back too much.

“So that is where you were brother," The door flew open and the Japanese quickly told both men who the source of the voice was. Jesse watched the frown envelop the archer’s expression and his eyes shot open before turning his own gaze to greet the younger Shimada.

“Genji,”

“Sorry, I knocked but—"

“Aye I heard ya, was wipin’ the cream off though,”

The two easily put a lighthearted conversation in the room before the cyborg walked behind to his own brother. Anything the two had to exchange was forgotten in the very moment it was very clear to Hanzo his younger brother was seeing the situation on his back.

He knew how this went. They knew how this went.

You might look like him, but you are NOT the Genji I knew! Spoken so many times during their arguments yet in moments like these the Genji Shimada they both knew was very much still alive and easily-amused.

Hanzo sighed.

Genji snorted.

Here we go.

“Y-you got sunburned Hanzo-?!”

The archer closed his eyes and began the inner meditation every time his brother’s mockery begun at whatever irrelevant nuisance life decided to throw at him. If he could, a palm would already be on his temples to help him pass this.

On the other side Jesse McCree suppressed a laugh himself as he took pity on the poor man lying in their hotel bed. He knew there was nothing he could do there, it was a sibling type sort of thing and it would probably end up harmless; should Hanzo decide to do what was best for him – which was staying still. Instead his view changed to that of the door where surprisingly stood another black cloaked figure leaning on their doorway. He wasn’t given time to properly acknowledge Reaper before the yelling behind him started.

“Leave me be Genji, I am in no mood for your commentary,”

The cyborg’s mild giggling quickly died out as he continued, masked voice and expression unable to be read with the words coming out.

“And you think I was in a mood to be massacred by the clan back then?”

Reaper voiced out a laugh at that as the cowboy all but awkwardly played with his hat waiting for the tension rising in the air to die down.

“Must you always bring this up,” Hanzo’s tired voice followed him with a groan changing his gaze to eye Genji through the visor. The topic always seemed to struck him in all the wrong places.

“I must. I am kind of mad you know, I was having the best fuck of the week that day too,” Hands going behind his head, the tone in the cyborg’s voice barely changed but the atmosphere was already going a different swirl than it was being a second ago.“You never understood how difficult it was finding partners able to satisfy you,”

The younger Shimada casually continued, all while eyeing the archer down with the smug expression they both knew he had, visor or not. He watched the brows furrow on Hanzo’s face more and more as the story about his sex life went on; neither caring of the other two figures in the room watching the scene as a movie.

“Do you think anyone even cared about your whoring, Genji?! Go to whichever partner you came in here and leave!”

The words flew out angrily as Hanzo groaned into the pillow struggling to turn his head by force. The cyborg watched him before momentarily forgetting and turning to recall the two men in the same room blending in like background.

“Short temper,” The wraith made the not so quiet comment at which Genji got up to, petting Hanzo on the wrist before heading out.

“Get well soon anija. I’ll ask of you what I wanted some other time,” Jesse watched the two take their leave and back to the remaining man lightly snoring on the bed. A smile he couldn’t help crept on and softly brushed the bang out of the tired man's face. The motion made the frown Hanzo wore lessen if even the smallest bit and McCree quietly closed the door before his voice betrayed him at making some squeaky little jolt sound of happiness that sparked a mess inside of him.

Genji stood at his own door, glancing over at the other man as his hand meddled with the key lock.

“So, you gonna take me on my brother’s offer?” The lustful expression returned behind the helmet; question asked as if he already didn’t know the answer.

“Not if you never get the door open,”

The cyborg chuckled.

“You wouldn’t take me here and now? What a way to disappoint Reaper,”

The door clicked.

“Because as a cyborg ninja, my body is always ready~”

The bait was taken and the door slammed shut.

A burning sensation being cooled off woke Hanzo with a wince that shamefully escaped him.

“Shh, I know it hurts but I gotta or it’ll be worse,” A low exhale relaxed him back as Jesse’s hand was removed and his soothing voice continued. “Almost done too, just hold on for me ya hear?”

The soppy sound was heard which was only assumed to be one of the many, many lotions the archer received, waiting for the cold hand to be brought onto his back like ice into the fire. It came, and he winced again. The hand did light strokes, Jesse was doing the softest of touches in his very best not to pressure the other and Hanzo felt it. He felt the gesture and appreciated it even he had no experience in tending to the wounded as light as the cowboy could. Hands not, but the motions were as soft as a woman’s that bandaged him during his and Genji’s fights; except she was being paid to be gentle and McCree wasn’t.

His thoughts let him drift, he drifted thinking if this was how his brother felt. How Genji felt when he struggled to stay alive during those painfully burning moments his body was decaying as time forced his consciousness awake for someone to find him. If rebuilding him burned like this, if amputating his leftover fleshed skin to cybernetics burned his skin off like this. But much, much worse. The thoughts immediately brought back a foul mood to the archer and he reopened his eyes to at least be more consciousness about the pain rather than lost in the other's gentle touch.

“I’m sure Genji meant nothing serious with those words, he really seems to forgive you Hanzo,” The attempted sentence was meant for apathy but Hanzo's guilt quickly shut it down.

“It doesn’t matter if he forgives me when I cannot forgive myself for what I have done to him,” Jesse shrugged, he knew it was coming.

“Well I’m sure nothing I say is going to make it work out but I’ll at least try to help if you let me,”His thoughts poked at his next choice of words; fingers absentmindedly closing the lotion.

“Because I don’t like seeing you hurt,” A blush upon hearing the words out loud, “e-either of you I mean. Genji and I spent a lot of time together in Blackwatch and I’d hate to see him break again. Was a real handful back then for both me and Reyes. Didn’t know how to approach the guy first at all, attitude stuck as if he’d punch me even if I looked at him weirdly,”

He stared the bottle cap down,

“But I’m sure the relationship between you two will improve. And you, well…”

His mind whispered all the wrong things to say at the compliment Hanzo situation and fingers twirled faster around the bottle cap.

Panic.

“I guess I’ve grown to like you Hanzo ‘tis all, wouldn’t want you to get hurt over and over again when I can see you’re havin’ a damn big load of that with things bein’ how they are now,” A sheepish smile once he heard his voice.“Sheesh that was cheesy,”

“Indeed,” Hanzo’s reply followed immediately after. A chuckle as Insult to injury and a chunk of Jesse’s ego died.

“Welp! I guess that’s that then. I’ll be back to check on ya later, you alright with that?”

“Yes. Thank you,” The politeness in the archer’s voice came and went and was it not for the smile he had McCree would have been convinced there was no chance the older Shimada wore an expression of sincere gratefulness. Butterflies of joy sprung up from the depths of his stomach at that and he patted Hanzo on the back with the most carefree attitude everyone knew Jesse McCree for.

Until he felt the man shudder.

Until he looked down where his artificial hand laid rest.

He dared not breathe; any motion being made was the metal lifting itself from the tattoed skin. White strap there and suddenly it wasn’t as funny as he pictured it before.

The shivering wouldn’t stop, Hanzo’s breathing quickened.

A yell.

The dreaded scream passed the hotel hallways with ease, deafening any other sound and person in and out of it. The man’s vocal cords took a huge blow and out of the corner of his eye, Jesse had a clear view of a single tear resting on the older Shimada’s face.

“I-I can’t focus…” Genji’s laughing voice barely whispered the words out with his body working to draw breaths out from the intense sensations and now – laughing.

“He'll get him killed,” Reaper’s movement stopped, one hand leaving the cyborg’s lifted ass to reach his own forehead. His own face turning to let out a snort of laughter in return.

“Let him. If my brother can handle me, he will handle McCree,” The laughter slowly died down with a needy smile taking back it’s place. “Forget them," Lips brushing against the decaying skin, the voice sank back lower, "I was not done yet,"